Strong focus on the future of a sustainable bicycle industry ‘Back to normal’ is a high priority at Taipei Cycle

TAIPEI, Taiwan – For most international industry peers of the 2023 Taipei International Cycle Show, it will be the first time since 2019 that they will set foot on the island again. The 2020 edition was one of the first international shows which had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.

Due to strict governmental entry regulations, an international event was still not possible in 2022. So, following a 3-year pause for international guests, a visit to Taipei Cycle Show this year will mark the moment of returning to normal. Last year, Taiwanese residents could already travel internationally, but entering the country was almost

2023 Taipei Cycle Show

22 - 24 March 2023 9am - 6pm

25 March 2023 (open to the public) 9am - 3pm

Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1 & 2 impossible for overseas visitors. That situation has now reverted to normal, and all entry restrictions have been lifted. However, the business situation can’t be considered normal at all. Over the past three years, the bicycle industry has seen many highs and lows. Some even described it as “bizarre”. In the past months, it became obvious that the industry is facing extremely high inventories of components and complete bicycles, and production is being scaled down where possible. Also, Taiwan’s bicycle and e-bike export dropped dramatically in the final quarter of 2022, as the most recent statistics clearly show.

Matching production and demand

The urgency to attend the Taipei Cycle Show as an overseas trade visitor could be felt less than in a ‘normal’ year. Why go to Taiwan when your warehouses are filled to their maximum capacity in an economy showing clear signs of slowing down? Or must we see the packed warehouses still as one of the many hick-ups of the restart of the industry after everything came almost to a standstill in 2020? The production rush which followed in an attempt to catch up with all delays as quickly as possible has inevitably led to the current oversupply. The bicycle industry has always had difficulties in matching production and demand. This issue only became all the more obvious in the past years and is now even higher on the agenda than it already was pre-pandemic: How can we arrange the industry most efficiently, and what is best to produce in which location in the world? This requires more coordination than just looking at your sales sheets and planning the order with your suppliers. These supply chain challenges sparked a major transformation of the e-bike and bicycle industry in Taiwan. “In 2023, Taipei Cycle will be rebranded,” announced TAITRA chairman, James Huang, last year. “The show will be focusing on five key themes in sustainability, including resilient supply chain, digital connections, vibrant innovations, dynamic lifestyle, and sustainable